Hospital pharmacists are increasingly compounding solutions for parenteral administration to a patient which contain a multiplicity of solutions in a single solution container. Such parenteral solutions include those formulated for nutritional purposes, as well as drug-containing admixtures for therapeutic purposes. A basic nutritional solution, for example, contains amino acids, dextrose, and fat emulsions which provide a major portion of the patient's nutritional needs. These solutions are typically compounded by use of a large volume parenteral compounder which typically utilizes a peristaltic type pump. A peristaltic-type pump is sufficient for large volume parenteral solution compounding since the pump transfers large volumes in an efficient and accurate manner. However, in addition to the basic solutions, a typical total parenteral solution also includes as many as ten additional additives, such as small quantities of vitamins, electrolytes, minerals, etc. These components are typically drawn into individual syringes and then injected into the final solution container. This procedure, while accurate, requires a large amount of time on the part of the pharmacist. Additionally, the repeated needle puncturing in the additive solutions increases the risk of contamination and accidental needle stick.
Accordingly, automatic compounding systems are being increasingly used for measuring and combining the smaller volume additives to the parenteral solutions. While small volume peristaltic pumps are in current use for small volume compounding, it is highly desirable to utilize a fast and highly accurate diaphragm cassette pump for compounding the additives to previously prepared large volume parenteral solutions. Additionally, it is highly desirable to use the high accuracy pump cassette for preparing small volume admixtures for therapeutic purposes, as well as small volume parenteral solutions for neonatal administration.